AWS SME

Description of the job functions the contractor will be expected to perform.

The Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) is the central IT organization for the state of Mississippi, and acts as a service provider and/or service broker for agencies. Over the last two years, ITS has implemented an AWS Organization withControl Tower, andis working to build cloudexpertise internally to supportthis environment and futureagency AWS projects. ITS is seeking a highly skilled and well rounded AWS expert to assistin maintaining this environment, working with agencies on troubleshooting, and helping to mentor staff. This position will be crucial to the long term success of this project for ITS as we work to build our Cloud Center of Excellence. Job functions overview:

AWS Environment Management - Oversee and maintain the existing AWS Organization whileensuring adherence to industry best practices.

Cloud Architecture - For both ITS and agencies, design, review, and implement AWS solutions that meet performance, security, and scalability requirements.

Troubleshooting and Support - Serve as a seniorpoint of contact for complex AWS-related issues including network connectivity. This will require coordination with internal teams and agencies to determine root cause and remediation strategies.

Vendor Relationships - Work with AWS and otherthird-party vendors to integrate various products into the overall AWS ecosystem.

Mentorship and Training - Provide knowledge transfer, training, and coaching staffmembers to buildinternal cloud expertise. Help with creation and maintenance of technical documentation, standards, and playbooks.

Governance and Security - Workwith ITS andagency security teamsto ensure industry best practices and various compliance requirements are met.

Required Skills/Experienc

eProvide the minimum required skills and/or experience the contractor must possess to qualify for this position. These requirements willbe transferred to the ScoreSheet and candidates without these requirements reflected on theirresume will NOT be presented to the manager for consideration

• .Deep knowledge of key AWS services (EC2,S3, RDS, VPC,IAM, Lambda, CloudFormation, etc.
• )Experience leadingcloud migrations or implementations in a complex multi-account environmen
• tStrong network troubleshooting abilities to help resolveconnectivity issues bothinside the AWS cloud environment and ingressing/egressing to the State's on premises environment
• .Familiarity with AWS Landing Zone implementations and management usingAWS Landing Zone Accelerato
• rProficiency withinfrastructure as code (CloudFormation, Terraform, AWS CDK) and CI/CD pipelines
• .Experience implementing security bestpractices (e.g., IAM policies, encryption, network segmentation, and SCPs)
• .Familiarity with DevOpsprinciples, containerization (Docker, ECS, EKS), and serverless architectures
• .Strong troubleshooting abilities across networking, storage, and computelayers in AWS
• .Excellent written and verbalcommunication skills, withthe ability to explain complexconcepts to bothtechnical and non-technical stakeholders
• .Proven experience mentoring staff and fostering a collaborative, learning-focused environment
• .Effective problem-solving skills and the ability to remain calmand focused underpressure
• .Strong organizational skills, capable of managing multiple projects and priorities simultaneously
• .Ability to lead architectural reviews and navigate ambiguity in designing solutions to complexbusiness problem

sPreferred/NotRequire

dProvide any skills/experience that would be helpful forthe candidate to possess but not required. Examples: Previous supervisory experience, WebLogic experience helpful, etc

• .AWS Professional-level certification (e.g.,AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional)
• .Experience in a government or highly regulated environment (e.g., HIPAA,CJIS, IRS 1075 compliance)
• .Knowledge of ITIL, project management methodologies (e.g.,PMP, Agile), and enterprise IT governance frameworks
• .Familiarity with otherpublic cloud providers and hybrid-cloud environments
• .Working knowledge of common scripting/programming languages (Python, Bash, PowerShell)